Family
by galaxy18hime
Summary: Shizuru, recently separated from her philandering husband, struggles to fight the loneliness in her heart. When she and her son meet Natsuki, who has built her own oddball family, Shizuru learns that family is not always what it seems.


**Hey y'all! I know it's been a long time but here's a new story. It's going to be a little bit on the lighter side and the characters are going to be a little more OOC - on the surface at least. Oh, and kids! So they're going to be a little older (late 20's) as well. As always, thanks to my beta for her great work. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, and we all know who does! **

Chapter 1

Ryo woke up from his awesome dream with a groan. He couldn't remember a lot of it, but he was pretty sure he was a toy, like the movie _Toy Story_. T-Rex was his favorite character, and there was an alarm clock shaped like it on Ryo's desk across from his bed. The clock said it was seven AM, which was way too early for him to be up.

There was dry drool crusting all over Ryo's chin. _Gross._ He scrubbed it away with the back of his hand and frowned. The dream wasn't scary at all, so he couldn't figure out why he was awake so early on a Saturday. Just then, his stomach made a loud grumbling noise. He patted his belly a little bit with a funny smile. If his mom heard his tummy rumbling, she would tease him like crazy.

He giggled a little as his tummy continued to make those weird growling sounds. Hopping out of bed with a huge yawn, Ryo made his way to the kitchen, hoping his mom was awake this early.

Smells of tea and his mom's famous American style pancakes drifted to him, making Ryo hungrier and hungrier as he walked to the half closed door of the kitchen and dining room. A soft musical voice hit him when he reached up to pull the door further open, making him pause. His mom was talking to someone in a sad tone, which happened a lot these days; mostly when she talked to his dad.

"Please, K- Fukushima-san. I just want you to guarantee that you will not keep me from our son," he heard. Mama's voice was so sad that Ryo wanted to run into the room and hug her until she smiled.

Ryo knew that his mom and dad were not going to live together anymore. They haven't been in the same house for a long time, and Ryo kept hearing the word divorce from both of them. It was something like the opposite of marriage, but he couldn't be sure. And he was too afraid to ask.

Mama sighed into the phone. "I know we aren't a match, but we still made a beautiful little bo-" Ryo heard something slap against the table and he jumped at the sound. "Enough! I am tired of your games. I don't want anything from you, you know this! I simply wish to be left alone and help raise our son." Though the voice was still soft, Ryo could hear his mother's natural accent creep into her voice. It just made the musical quality so much more, and he loved it. But not when she was angry or upset, so he had to do something.

The little boy gulped, and pulled the door open.

~ SHIZNAT ~

Shizuru Fujino was seething. Her estranged husband was using her son as a bargaining chip to get as much money as he could out of the divorce. Yes, they both came from prominent families, but the Fujinos were an old family from Kyoto and had not just wealth, but lineage behind their name. A shaking hand brushed through her fringe of brown hair; she wished she hadn't bothered to answer the cell phone. She sat back in her seat at her elegant dining table, trying to relax.

"_Look, all you need to do is stop calling down your legal team on me. You and I both know those domestic abuse allegations won't hold in court." _ There was no violence in the threat or in Kenta Fukushima's voice, but Shizuru stiffened at the memory.

"Mama?"

The sound of Ryo so close caused Shizuru to jump and bite off the curse that formed on her lips. She looked down at her seven year old, feeling most of the tension drain out of her.

"Good morning, little one." Her hand found its way to his tawny head as he stepped closer. Forcing a bright smile past her lips, she added. "Did you sleep well?"

Ryo's big amber eyes gazed at her with all the sadness of a puppy wanting food as he nodded. "I smelled pancakes, mama."

"_Shizuru…" _ Kenta growled through the line. Shizuru had to suppress the small wave of fear that rolled through her at the sound.

Ryo tugged on her hand. "Mama, I'm hungry. Can we have pancakes now?"

Shizuru's smile widened. "Bye Kenta. I am going to feed our son. Please don't call again." She hung up the phone without bothering to listen to the cursing man on the other line, while standing from the dining table and making her way to the hot plate of pancakes on the counter.

"Please wash your hands, little one."

Ryo gave a shouting "Kay!" as he sped out to the bathroom. Shizuru chuckled then slumped against the counter. Kenta infuriated her, to be sure, but his emotional and physical hold over her still frightened her. Her family and extremely large team of fancy lawyers kept him from overtly doing anything since they separated almost a year ago, but he would still occasionally pull stunts like this one to keep her off balance. She pulled her robe around her as a sudden cold came over her.

Pitter patter of small feet jolted her out of her thoughts, and Shizuru turned from the counter with the pancakes in hand just in time for Ryo's little body to slam into her leg. His head buried into her side.

"What's this?" She asked lightly, even as her free hand smoothed down his unruly curls.

Her little boy's reply was a muffled, "Love you Mama." She just about burst into tears right there. Ryo was her world, and she was always so surprised at her son's sweet nature. Hopefully, he wouldn't lose his kindness once he grew up.

"I love you too, baby. Now let's eat. We've a date with Uncle Reito and Aunt Mai." Ryo let out a whoop and sped to the table.

Shizuru smiled at his mood swing. Ryo's sudden bright mood was infectious, driving away the dark thoughts from earlier. Today was going to end much better than it started.

~ SHIZNAT ~

Mid-summer in Tokyo was sweltering, but today a nice breeze had cut through most of the humidity and heat. Natsuki Kuga wiped at her sweating brow, looking for her short redheaded best friend. She should be back from a convenience store mission, along with their charges. _Nao and the kids aren't late. Relax, Kuga. _She thought as she dropped down into a nice patch of grass and closed her eyes. _Might as well take advantage of this quiet. _

No sooner than Natsuki had gotten comfortable, someone shouted a "Watch out!" and something heavy hit the ground within inches of her head. She shot up.

"Shit!"

It only took her a second to find the flying object. It was a heavy kick ball that was currently bouncing away from her through the tall grass. Shaking her head, she jogged after it, catching it in only a couple of strides.

"Thanks, sorry for scaring you there." A low baritone spoke from behind Natsuki. She spun slowly, craning her neck to find a pair of dark eyes watching her sheepishly.

_Damn he's tall. _"It's okay. I didn't need the sleep." Natsuki grinned up at the man.

He gave her a warm one in return. "My name's Kanzaki Reito. Why don't you come get a drink, you can meet the little rascal who nearly took off your pretty head."

Natsuki was about to say no. Really, despite not being attracted to the handsome man who was giving her his best little boy look, she couldn't help but be somewhat charmed by him. "Mom always said not to take offers from strangers. It could be dangerous."

Reito laughed and shook his head. "You're quite right, Miss. But I assure you I am only going to take you to a couple of hyper kids and my wife." He gave her a goofy smile and turned to point towards a blanket with a redhead and two kids who were bouncing around and waving in the two adults' direction.

Kids were her weakness, so Natsuki pouted in thought, which Reito thought was quite adorable on the dark haired beauty. "Alright. Would you mind if my friend and our kids join you?"

Reito raised an eyebrow in response and Natuski had to suppress a grin. Most people were a little put off by her forward personality. Japanese social customs required her to act demure and polite, but societal rules rarely suited Natsuki, so she ignored them most of the time. "Sure, the more the merrier."

Success! Nao and the kids would love the prime spot, and if tall, dark and handsome was any indication, she found some really nice people to hang out with for the day. Flashing her biggest smile, secretly pleased at the slight blush she caused, she said, "My name's Natsuki Kuga. I know we just met and all that but I'm not much for formalities, so Natsuki's fine by me."

Natsuki started off towards Reito's family, and pulled out her phone to text Nao that she had made some friends. Chuckling at what Nao would say about her antics, she checked her stride so she and Reito would walk side by side. She didn't want to scare the kids - or the pretty wife - after all.

Mai had to fight off a small pang of jealousy when her husband strolled back to their spot with the dark haired woman who survived the kickball attack in tow. The two of them had been married for just under four years, and have been together since high school. Mai loved her husband dearly, but the man was too handsome and charismatic for his own good. She could be charming if she wanted to, but Reito and Shizuru were on a whole other level. It's like they couldn't help but enchant anyone they ran into. Yet those two were just so sweet and adorable about it that it wasn't terribly difficult to get used to having new people around all the time.

Studying the young woman as she approached, Mai's eyebrows rose. The raven hair wasn't cut short as she had previously thought, but pulled back into a pony tail. Long strands fluttered out from behind the woman's bared shoulder to brush at the back of a slim arm. The dark hair contrasted with creamy skin that barely hinted at an olive tan. Mai thought the woman was probably only a little taller than she was, but she was all long and lean lines that created an illusion of more height.

Shaking her head, Mai brushed off her pants as she stood up, positioning herself between the suddenly quiet kids and the approaching adults. She wished Shizuru was here because her friend was so much better equipped to handle introductions like this, but she was taking a much needed jog while Ryo was safe with Mai and Reito.

With a sigh, Mai decided to get this over with. "Hello, there. I am terribly sorry for bothering you." She stuck out her hand.

The woman's grasp was firm and warm. "Don't worry about it. I hear you've got water. So here I am. My name's Natsuki."

Unable hide her surprise at the low, husky voice Natuski possessed, Mai looked straight into a pair of intense green eyes. "I-I'm Mai. Nice to meet you." Mai realized she was staring, so she tore her gaze away from Natsuki and dropped her hand.

Nastuki could barely contain her laughter at Mai's reaction. Instead, a small grin forced its way past her lips. It wasn't uncommon, especially with women. Nao was always telling her that she should become a phone sex operator. Natsuki's grin widened. "Same here, Mai."

She dropped to one knee, so she was eye level with the two boys huddled behind Mai's nicely shaped legs. They were both handsome little guys, one was dark haired with a pair of deep violet eyes. He must be Mai's and Reito's; those eyes were almost identical to his mom's. The other boy was almost monochromatic, with his tawny hair and amber eyes. Natsuki blinked; she'd never seen coloring on someone like that before.

Reito chuckled a bit at the boys' shy behavior. "It's okay guys. She's nice. Plus I bet she can play some soccer too." He said as he pulled off his sandals and flopped on the blanket.

"Really, Natsuki-chan?" The fair boy asked Natsuki. He'd inched himself a bit from behind Mai, braver now that she was smaller.

Natsuki winked at him. "You bet kiddo. Soccer's my favorite sport." She smiled warmly even as he retreated to the safety of Mai's legs.

Mai's hand came down to push on his back, propelling him forward. She did the same with the other boy. "See? Natsuki's not scary, is she?" The boys turned to look at her and shook their heads simultaneously, which caused Reito to choke back a cough. Natsuki chuckled as Mai wrenched her head around to glare at her husband. Reito was totally whipped, judging by the sheepish expression on the man's face.

Natsuki sat down in the grass, and crossed her legs in front of her. Looking up just a bit at the youngsters, she grinned. They blushed and looked at her with shy smiles of their own.

The boys suddenly burst into simultaneous introductions; "I'm Ryo" from the blonde and "I'm Daiki" came from the brunette. Those were followed up with twin exclamations of, "You're really pretty!"

Natsuki blinked a couple times, even as Mai uttered an embarrassed "Boys!" and then burst into delighted laughter. She liked them already. The couple soon joined in, realizing that Natsuki wasn't offended by the kids' bluntness.

Flabbergasted faces turned upwards to give Mai twin puppy pouts, and Daiki, probably needing to explain himself, said, "Well she is, Mama! Like not pretty like you, but pretty like Shi-chan! Shi-chan likes it when we say she's pretty!" Ryo nodded vigorously.

Natsuki forced herself to stop giggling like a maniac, curious, but decided to file the information away for later. The boys were digging themselves into a hole judging by the pretty pink Mai's cheeks were turning. "You guys are so funny. Thanks, I appreciate it. Now who wants to play some soccer?" She managed to say through her chuckles.

Twenty minutes later, Natsuki was enjoying a rather spirited game of soccer with Ryo and Daiki, when she suddenly heard squeals of "Na-chan!" from off to her right.

Nao and the kids had returned. "Guys, remember the last time-" Nao's warning faded out when Natsuki was gang tackled by the four kids.

"Omph!" Natsuki tried to stay upright for as long as she could but Keiko, their oldest and biggest ward drove right into her side and she toppled over. She managed not to land on little Rei, grunting as the hard earth jarred her shoulder.

Mai and her husband watched the small redhead lug a large bag to their picnic area, dropping her load unceremoniously at their feet. They stood up to help get her settled.

"Hey. My name's Nao. Thanks for inviting us over." She said as she looked them over.

Mai and Reito eyed the brazen redhead with some trepidation, but shrugged. Natsuki hadn't warned them of Nao's somewhat…unorthodox behavior, yet Natsuki was not the most conventional of people and Nao seemed friendly enough. Mai noticed that Nao was watching the rough play with a small smile on her face, so she tapped her husband on the arm and sat down.

Reito followed Mai down onto the blanket and propped his head in his hand. "So, um, Nao, how did you and Natsuki end up with all those kids?"

Nao raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Natsuki and I are lesbian lovers and they are our adopted children."

"Um…Wow?" Mai barely got out. She could feel her face flush. What could she say to that? Most people would rather not speak of their sexuality to people they'd just met. Reito had straightened, eyeing Nao with something between shock and admiration.

Nao glanced over at them then snickered. "You two should see your faces. Natsuki and I are just friends. She and I run a small orphanage. I pretty much run the business side of things, and Natsuki is the legal side, with her team of powerful and loyal lawyers. She's also our maintenance guy."

Mai and Reito exchanged a look; Mai knew exactly what he was thinking. There had to be a story behind these two, and she hoped they would tell it. "Well, either way, it's still kind of shocking. I think it's admirable, but don't you guys get a lot of crap for being two women taking care of a group of kids?" She felt a sharp nudge to her side and glared at her husband who shook his head slightly.

Nao cocked her head in thought, still keeping an eye on her partner and their horde. "Actually, most don't really care, since we don't often do stuff together." She turned to face them completely, light green eyes flashing. "But we have had assholes who thought two girls couldn't raise kids together, and tried to have us shut down. Natsuki fried their asses with her team of legal magicians and I made sure everyone knew what bigoted bastards they were. Those kids," she nodded to the pileup of youngsters. "Need someone to tell them they care, ya know? To give them a safe place till they can find people who would love them for the rest of their lives. Natsuki and I provide that for them."

Mai opened her mouth to apologize but stopped when she noticed a certain honey haired brunette hovering nearby. It was obvious she'd been listening to Nao's impassioned speech from the soft expression playing across her face. Mai tried not to track the leggy beauty with her eyes as she sidled closer.

"Ara, that is wonderful. You attract the most interesting people, Mai-chan, Rieto-bocchan." Shizuru's lyrical voice said just behind Nao, causing the redhead to jump and curse.

Reito scrambled to his feet to give Shizuru a big hug to cover his light laughter. Mai stood with more grace, shaking her head at their friend's mischievous streak. "Shizuru, you really shouldn't scare people like that." She chided while giving her a gentle squeeze.

Shizuru was gorgeous even while sweating after a five mile run. Mai knew if it had been her, she'd look like a blotchy, gross mess. Her friend was sporting a pretty flush on her olive features, and the only indication she just exerted herself was her bangs sticking slightly to her forehead. And her damp shirt, Mai amended. She pulled back with a grimace. "Ew, you're all sticky."

That pulled a silvery laugh from the beautiful brunette, "Ara, yes, I had a great run but it is so very hot." She grabbed the towel Reito offered her and wiped her face, turning to Nao with questioning red eyes.

If Nao was surprised by Shizuru's eye color, she didn't show it. Instead, she boldly stared up at Shizuru, sticking out her hand. "Hello, my name's Nao. My partner and our kids are just hanging out for the day. Nice to meet you."

Shizuru took the offered hand and shook it, not at all surprised by the warm grip of the young woman. "The pleasure is mine, Nao-san. I'm Fujino Shizuru, but please call me Shizuru."

Nao raised an eyebrow, a slow leer crawling across her face. "Did anyone tell you you're hot?"

Mai gasped and Reito choked on the beer he just opened up, nearly spitting it all over their blanket. Shizuru, just smirked at the brazen redhead. _Ara! This one is going to be fun. _However, Shizuru noticed a decided lack of little ones and her red eyes searched the area for Ryo, then shot a sly glance down at Nao. "Well, Mai just did. It is such a warm day after all."

Knowing what her friend would ask, Mai interrupted the admittedly heated staring contest Shizuru and Nao were engaged in. "Ri-chan is playing with Natsuki-san and Dai-kun."

Shouts and peals of laughter drew Shizuru's gaze to a group of children surrounding a woman with pale skin and dark hair. This young woman must be the Natsuki-san Mai had mentioned earlier. Somehow Ryo and Daiki had gotten a hold of Natsuki and crawled on her back, and yet another youngster was wrapped around Natsuki's leg. The young woman must possess incredible strength to carry that much weight.

As the group neared, Shizuru's gaze went from her son, who was laughing and calling out encouragements to the young dark haired woman, to her strong looking shoulders and arms then settled on the little girl attached to a solid, lean leg. Natsuki was certainly attractive and seemed to have the type of personality that children loved.

Nao snorted, bringing Shizuru out of her assessments. "That idiot. She's gonna hurt her back again," she muttered then shouted, "Yo! Rugrats! Break it up and get washed up for dinner!" Disappointed mumblings answered her but the orphans obediently went to follow their foster parent's orders.

Shizuru blinked at the crude language then decided that Natsuki had enough child induced torture. "Ri-chan! Please dismount from the poor lady. You could hurt her, sweetheart."

"Daiki, buddy, it's time for dinner. Say thank you to Natsuki-chan for being such a good pal and get off her." Reito added his voice to the mix. She looked over at the couple as Mai nodded in agreement.

Daiki and Ryo whined as the trio drew near. Natsuki stopped dutifully in front of the blanket, bending so they could get down. Those powerful arms and legs flexed as she worked to deposit her riders gently on the ground. "You guys should totally go easy on the sugar, ya know." She teased them as she gave out high fives. Shizuru re-evaluated her earlier assumptions as Natsuki gracefully rose to her feet, her stomach heaving against her skintight tank top, revealing a tight bundle of muscles through the light material.

Their eyes met, and Shizuru clamped her mouth shut to keep from gasping. The woman had the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen. To her embarrassment, she couldn't find her voice to introduce herself.

"Hello." Natsuki's sexy voice deepened slightly, causing a thrill to shoot down her spine. This raven haired young woman was absolutely gorgeous, and Shizuru couldn't help but appreciate the beauty in front of her.

Mai stepped between them, just to off to the side. "Um - Shizuru, meet Natsuki Kuga. Natsuki Kuga, meet Shizuru Fujino. She's Ryo's mom." She said, wincing at the overly bright tones of her voice.

"Why hello. Thank you for taking such good care of Ryo. You're unusually gifted with kids." Shizuru said, unconsciously infusing as much of her warm voice with the musical accent she usually hid.

Natsuki's eyes moved to her lips as she spoke then snapped up to meet her eyes again, her irises darkening to a deep forest green. The pouty lips parted, but Nao mercifully interrupted the moment by planting herself in Natsuki's path and jamming a finger to her chest. "You – missy - are supposed to be taking it easy." She backed Natsuki away from the blanket. Natsuki's hands flew into the air in a parody of surrender. "How are you supposed to get back on the field sooner, huh? Without your endorsements and shit, we can't afford the kids."

"Nao…"

"The damn house needs work, too. Didn't you say you were gonna help me redo the bedrooms?"

Natsuki huffed and rolled her eyes, a soft smile floating on her lips. "Nao…"

"Annd-"

"Nao!" Natsuki brought her hands down on Nao's shoulders, shaking her gently. "I'll be fine, Nee-chan. We'll be fine. The kids will be fine. Kay?" Natsuki drew the shorter woman into a hug, and Shizuru glanced away, towards her friends, giving the two a moment of privacy. What she found made her smile; Reito and Mai were watching the women with a sort of guilty fascination.

Just then, Ryo ran up to give Shizuru a hug by wrapping his small arms around her waist and burying his face into her stomach. Her hand automatically smoothed down his unruly curls. "Mama, is Nat-kun in trouble?" He asked, in that not so quiet way children have. Her eyebrow rose at the male honorific, but she gave him a small smile and a gentle shake of her head instead. Natsuki did have a masculine quality about her, and the nickname sounded right to Shizuru.

The two young women heard Ryo and they broke apart with sheepish grins. "Nah, kiddo. Sorry for scaring you. Nao is a bit high strung." Natsuki said, ruffling Nao's hair. Nao punched her in the arm in response. They jostled each other as they found spots on the blanket. Ryo pretty much made himself at home in Natsuki's lap.

Shizuru's melodic chuckle filled the air. "You simply find the most interesting people, bocchan." Reito just shook his head. Grumbling, he helped himself to one of Mai's famous rice balls and handed Ryo one of his favorite flavors. Ryo promptly chomped down on it, causing Shizuru to cluck her tongue. "Ryo - please use smaller bites. And say thank you after you've chewed your food."

Ryo said "thank you" through his food, spitting out bits of rice and tuna in the process, eliciting a barking laugh from Natsuki, who was serving as his seat. Shizuru shook her head and bent to wipe his face. "Follow directions, little one." Shizuru murmured affectionately. Natsuki caught her eye as she pulled away from the pair, giving her a playful smile as she subtly tapped her foot against Shizuru's. She blinked in surprise; Natsuki was flirting with her! Shizuru was aware of her looks and took some pride in them. This wasn't the first time a woman had made the moves on her, but Natsuki was different for some reason. She held the woman's gaze, daring her to do something else; Natsuki's grin widened at the silent challenge.

Before Shizuru could think of anything to do, squeals and shouts announced the return of Natsuki and Nao's kids. Natsuki's powerful gaze moved from her, giving Shizuru the time needed to make a dignified escape. When everyone settled down, Nao doled out sandwiches and Mai announced she had more than enough rice balls. The children cheered at the prospect of more food.

~ SHIZNAT ~

Later that day, Shizuru tucked her son in, humming a small lullaby as she sat on his bed. Most children ask for their parents to read to them, but Ryo could always fall asleep just listening to the sound of her voice, and she found it easier to sing.

"Mama?"

"Yes, little one?" She murmured, brushing an unruly curl out of his eyes.

"Today was fun." He said through a yawn.

She smiled, remembering how he laughed. He looked so happy and carefree, playing with the others. Making friends. "Oh, yes it was wonderful. You made so many friends today."

"Mmhm." He replied sleepily. "I 'specially like Nat-kun. She's awesome. Can we play with her again?"

Instead of answering, Shizuru hummed again, thinking of the playful Natsuki. She was good with kids, and so very sweet. Ryo had taken to her so well, and had already developed a form of hero-worship towards the raven haired woman. Ryo's breathing evened out and she leaned in, giving him a goodnight kiss to his forehead before getting up Making sure she left the door open a crack, Shizuru headed down the hall towards her own bedroom.

Flipping on her lights, Shizuru let out a huff as she busied herself with her nighttime routine. After brushing her teeth and washing her face in the en suite bath, Shizuru pulled her silk nightgown off the hook on the back of the bathroom door. Shizuru had perfected the walking undressing technique a while ago; she was able to get her pajamas over her head, slip off her clothes and pick them off the floor and deposit them in her hamper, all the while walking slowly towards her ridiculous king sized bed. It was so very comfortable, but with only Ryo as her occasional bed mate, it seemed to emphasize Shizuru's loneliness. It was a wedding gift from her parents, and the woodwork was excellent. Not even the justification of her ruined relationship could make her get rid of such an expensive piece of furniture.

A buzzing sound interrupted her thoughts as she turned down the sheets of her bed. She reached out a blind hand and grabbed her phone, smiling at the name on the caller id. "Good evening, Mai-chan. Is Daiki asleep?" She greeted as she snuggled under the covers and fell back into her pillows.

"_Yes, but that's not why I called."_ Mai chuckled and Shizuru settled into her bed.

Shizuru tilted her head, curious. Since they were always doing things together, they didn't need to talk on the phone. Mai would only call to check on Ryo or if she thought Kenta was bothering Shizuru. "Okay then. No, I haven't initiated any contact with Kenta."

"_Again. Not why I called. How do you like our new friends?"_ Mai asked, amusement still in her voice.

"They were unusual, but very nice. Nao and Natsuki are quite amazing, actually." She commented with a smile, remembering how the pair was able to organize a rather rambunctious game of kickball after their lunch.

"_Yup._" Mai said with a laugh. _"They're both big kids. Especially Natsuki."_

"Mmm." Shizuru responded, remembering laughing green eyes. And that smile. She could get just about anything with that-

"Hello? Shizuru, you still there?"

She shook off her thoughts. "Yes, Mai-chan. Just thinking."

"_About a certain athletic, smoky voiced, gorgeous woman with eyes like a deep forest…"_

Shizuru sat up in her bed, flushing at being caught. "What? No - Mai… I - she's really good with Ryo." She paused. "And Daiki for that matter."

"_Yeah, okay."_ Mai didn't sound very convinced. _"You said that already. You like her, don't you?" _

"You like her too, Mai. Hell, even Reito likes her!" Shizuru laughed, shaking her head as Mai grumbled about her not being any fun. "Anyway, I suspect that Daiki would like to see our new friends as well. Natsuki gave me her cell number."

Mai gasped. "_Oh wow! You move fast, woman_." She began giggling at her own joke, while Shizuru uncharacteristically rolled her eyes. Mai was reading too much into these things. Sure, Natsuki was pretty – gorgeous even – but that didn't mean Shizuru was attracted to her.

Leaning back into her pillows a little, Shizuru sighed. "I would like to get to know her a little more." She conceded. "And Nao, too. Ryo needs to have more friends and more positive adult influences in his life."

A little huff from Mai told Shizuru that she was going to say something she wasn't going to like. "_You need to start dating again, Shizuru. If only to let Kenta know you are serious about divorcing him."_

"I'm not ready yet, Mai." Shizuru said with some determination, hoping her friend would let the subject drop.

"_I'm just looking out for you and Ryo. You two deserve someone who'll love you and take care of you."_ Mai said by way of apology.

Knowing Mai's tendency to mother all of her friends, Shizuru didn't stop the grin that threatened to appear on her face. "I know and thank you, Mom." She said in a playful tone.

"_Just give it some thought. And it is way past your bedtime, young lady. I'm going to give that Mai-chan a big talking to for keeping you up at such an ungodly hour."_ Mai said with mock sternness.

Shizuru burst into laughter at the image of Mai scolding herself. "Thanks again, Mai. Have a good night."

"_Night, sweetie. Love you."_ Mai said.

"Love you too."

**AN:**

**WOW, so that was fun! as always, reviews and follows make me happy. Let me know what you all think.**


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